Watkins Glen begins Clute planning step

WATKINS GLEN--During a brief meeting of the Watkins Glen board of trustees, Nov. 2, the board unanimously approved a Request For Qualification to survey the campground at Clute Park for potential expansion projects. Deputy Mayor Louis Perazzini said the village is interested in getting a survey done of the campground area as soon as possible to help expedite current and future projects.
The request states, "The Village of Watkins Glen is soliciting qualifications from engineering firms for assistance in the final design, bidding, construction, administration, and construction inspection services for the construction of sewer, electric, and water implementations within the Clute Park Campground. We are looking for a firm that is designing the layout of 60 sites, ensuring that all of the utilities are properly laid out. The scope will only be for additional campground sites to be added to the existing site layout."
Preliminary approval has been granted for expansion on the existing footprint, but Watkins Glen Mayor Luke Leszyk said the village is also planning on examining ways to expand beyond the current footprint so Clute could expand even further.
The village wants to have a complete plan to show the landowner, Cargill. This would detail how the expansion would happen and the expected changes. The land is currently leased on a 50-year term, and Leszyk said the renewal will be coming up within the next five years.
Speaking of Cargill, Leszyk said "They are a good community partner, not just with us but a lot of other businesses and charitable causes. We always look forward to working with them, they are an important part of our community, so we look forward to sitting down and discussing re-leasing (the land the campground sits on)."